Have to hand it to those wrestlers

Hands tell a story, mapping our lives and battles

Our hands tell a story. Coming in all sizes, colours and shapes, they reveal our age, and often our strengths and weaknesses. They are a part of everything we do, every emotion we feel. But a wrestlers’ hands are so much more. An iron grip is their lifeline.

From the opening stance in a wrestling competition, trained and practiced hands can determine the outcome. The ability to adjust the grip depending on the move or counter move begins with the hands. Wrestlers spend hours building farmer’s hand strength, using grippers, weights, rope climbing and hand stands.

The extent of their training and injuries is mirrored in their hands. Calluses from lifting weights, swollen knuckles, scars of not perfectly healed broken fingers mirror their battles. The pain from the swollen and torn joints may disappear after an injury, but it lingers in time, often reappearing in later life, reminding men and women of their past victories and determination as wrestlers.

But a wrestler’s hands are also powerful off the mat. At the beginning of every match, opponents shake hands. At the end of the match, they shake hands with the opposing coaches as well. This shows the respect each wrestler has for his opponent and the sport. The handshake or high five from their own coach is also a wordless exchange, reinforcing the bonds between coach and athlete, and the spirit that defines the wrestling community.